


Among the Same Stars

by lastnight



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi - Fandom, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Angst and Humor, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Awkward Flirting, Awkward Romance, Bad Flirting, Based on a Tumblr Post, Cassian is mentioned because I love him so much, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Eventual Romance, F/M, Feels, Finnrey, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Force-Sensitive Poe Dameron, Minor Cassian Andor/Jyn Erso, Minor Finn/Rey, Nostalgia, POV Poe Dameron, Poe Dameron Can Sing, Poe Dameron Needs A Hug, Post-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Pre-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Protective Poe Dameron, Rebellion, Romantic Fluff, Sarcasm, Sass, Sassy, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, hanleia, too many tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-29
Updated: 2017-08-14
Packaged: 2018-10-12 18:14:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10496742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lastnight/pseuds/lastnight
Summary: "We've always been among the same stars."





	1. Don't Take It Personally

Poe Dameron is back on his home planet Yavin-4, for a short patrolling mission. He sits on a speeder bike as he waits for his astromech, BB-8, to return with any additional information. He doesn't have any concerns at the moment but he wants the little droid to return as soon as possible. As much as he loved visiting the planet he once called home, it was always a bittersweet experience. There were many sad memories and emotions brought along with seeing the waste his old neighborhood was laid to; Poe avoided the parts of Yavin-4 that held those memories. He sighs and looks around for any sign of his astromech. 

 

Suddenly, an unknown girl comes running toward Poe at an alarming fast pace. He instinctively reaches for the blaster strapped to his hip until he noticed BB-8 trailing behind her; the two both seem to be running in a panic. Poe does not have enough time to react when she hops on the speeder with him and yells, “DRIVE!” Poe was stunned by the sudden interaction; especially because BB-8 was beeping nonsense at the same time. BB-8 had secured himself to the speeder as well and began making several loud noises. “Didn’t you hear me?! DRIVE, DRIVE DRIVE!!” the strange and frantic girl screams again, followed by panicked beeps from BB-8, snapping Poe out of his daze. She looks behind herself and Poe follows her stare; there are three Stormtroopers running from the same direction the girl and the droid came from.

 

Without further hesitation, Poe starts up the speeder and takes off in the opposite direction, making several detours through the trees and old passageways in a hope of losing the Stormtroopers. The girl holds tightly onto Poe as he speeds through several sharp twists and turns, her long dark hair whipping all over the place due to the wind. Both Poe and the girl constantly look over their shoulders to check if they are still being pursued. Once Poe deems the Stormtroopers are no longer in pursuit, he pulls the speeder to an abrupt stop; he is so confused and desperate for answers as to what happened, that he didn’t even notice the fact that he is in his old neighborhood. He quickly turns around to face the girl.

 

“Okay, you’re being chased by Stormtroopers with  _ my  _ droid, you jump on my speeder and then yell “Drive!” Who are you? And what the hell happened back there?” Poe speaks fast as he demands an explanation. He looks back and forth from the girl and Beebee. The two both begin exclaiming and rambling simultaneously before Poe cuts them off, “Please, both of you!” He shut his eyes tightly and pinches the bridge of his nose. “One at a time. Now explain yourself,” he says, looking directly at the girl.

 

“Well-” she sighs and pushes a strand of hair away from her face, “I was minding my own business when your little droid rolled by. I thought he was adorable so I watched as he passed by. When some troopers noticed he tried to avoid them but they made him stop,” she pauses and takes a breath. “They started questioning him and one of them threatened to blast him,” she sighs and looks back at BB-8, “I couldn’t just watch. Especially when one of them kicked him. That’s when I jumped in.” 

 

BB-8 unhooks himself from the speeder and rolls to the front of it so the droid can be face to face with Poe. The astromech begins communicating in a frenzy of beeps and other sounds; Poe understanding everything the little droid is trying to say. Poe nods along as the droid seems to tell his own side of the story. Poe adds his own commentary every now and then. “She what?” “Really?” “And you got away?” Once BB-8 finishes his explanation, the droid swivels his little head to look at the girl who is still seated behind Poe. Likewise, Poe turns around, looking over his shoulder, to face her; he cannot help but notice a faint familiarity about her. He also notices an unusual small streak of grey in her dark hair as she pushes her hair from her face once again; she looked far too young for grey hair but Poe knew better than to mention it.

 

“Well, thanks for looking out for my droid,” he sighs, “Don’t really know what would’ve happened had you not been there.” 

 

The girl offers a small smile, “It’s nothing. I just did what any good person would’ve done.” 

 

“Yeah, well, not everyone is a good person these days,” the man scoffs. “Which leads to the question- where is the nearest place I can drop you off?” This question results in many more beeps from BB-8, which are cut off by Poe once again, “No. She’s not coming with us, Beebee.” But the little droid protests once more. Poe is about to deny the droid’s request again, when the girl suddenly stands up and hops down off of the speeder. 

 

“Save yourself the trouble,” she rolls her eyes, grabbing her bag from the bike and swinging it over her shoulder. 

 

“Look, don’t take it personally,” as much as Poe appreciates what she did, he cannot quite trust her yet. “I have-” Poe pauses as he remembers he shouldn’t let it be known that he is with the resistance, “I have stuff to do.” 

 

The girl laughs and places a hand on her hip. “C’mon now. Don’t play stupid. I know who you are,” she shakes her head before turning around and walking away. Poe furrows his eyebrows at this,  _ How does she know?  _ The pilot exchanges a confused look with his droid. He quickly climbs off of the speeder as well. 

 

“Wait!” he calls as he jogs to catch up with her. “What do you mean you know who I am? I’m no one special, just a junker,” he lies, causing the girl to laugh again. 

 

“You must think I’m really stupid huh?” She rolls her eyes playfully. “That, or  _ you’re _ stupid.” 

 

Poe does not like that she seems to know about him, yet he knows nothing about her. He takes a few larger steps and stands in front of her. “Alright,” he crosses his arms. “Who am I then? If you know so much,” the pilot figured that the strange girl was just bluffing. 

 

She stops in her tracks as he stands in front of her, raising an eyebrow at him. “You’re funny Poe,” she says before continuing to walk, their shoulders bumping slightly as she passes him. 

_ Shit,  _ he thought,  _ she wasn’t bluffing.  _ He stands there for a few seconds before turning around and pursuing her once again. “Okay, how do you know me?” he asks as he walks with her.

 

“Please,” she scoffs while she walks, “as if I wouldn’t know  _ Poe Dameron: Poster Boy and Best Pilot of the Resistance. _ ” She says the last part dramatically with an eye roll. “I also knew you before you were any of that,” she adds as she begins to turn toward the entrance to one of the many houses in the neighborhood. 

 

Poe furrows his eyebrows as he follows her up the walkway to the little house, “I’m sorry but- who are you?” 

 

She stops as she reaches the door. She has her hand on the handle, but she turns to look at Poe. “Ya see, I would tell you but-  _ I have stuff to do, _ ” she says mockingly with a sweet smile. She opens the door and steps inside. She cannot help herself when she turns around and quotes him from before, “Don’t take it personally.” She shuts the door, leaving Poe standing outside with a blank stare. She fights back a smile as she watches his confused expression through the blurred window. She steps away from the door and sighs as she walked into her old room. 

 

Poe stands in front of the closed door, completely spaced out; his brown eyes drilling holes through the door in front of him. He is now positive that he recognized the girl; however, he just cannot figure out who she is nor how he knows her.  _ She knew me before the resistance?  _ He thinks to himself,  _ Why don’t I remember her?  _ He feels bad that she remembers him but he has no clue as to who she could be. 

 

Poe can hear the girl moving around in the house, so he decides to knock. When he doesn't get a response he twists the handle to see if she locked it; surprisingly, the door is open. Poe steps inside and to yet another surprise, the house appears to have been abandoned for years. He looks around at the dusty furniture and and barren walls. He walks over to the only shelf with anything on it. 

 

Poe furrows his eyebrows as he looks at the dusty picture frames sitting on the shelf. He picks up one of the frames and dusts it off; it is an image of a man, a woman, and a little girl. Although there isn't a streak of grey in the picture, the child was undeniably his new acquaintance. Poe is pulles from his thoughts when he heard her voice. 

 

“Wow. Stupid  _ and  _ nosy,” she remarks quietly from behind him. Poe turns around and meets her gaze, the frame still clutched in his hands. Although her tone is still playfully sarcastic, she wears a sad smile. He feels his heart stop as he finally realizes who she is. 

  
“Zahra?” he asks, barely audible; however, he already knows the answer.


	2. Zahra?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long to update! I am planning to add chapters regularly from now on. Thanks for reading!

_ “Zahra?”  _

 

Her heart skips a beat when she hears her name out loud. No one had referred to her by that name in years. Poe still stands there, staring at her blankly. 

 

“Well shit, Dameron.” She laughs lightly. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” The man just stars at her without saying a word. “Well say something.” Zahra frowns. 

 

“I- I just-” Poe stammers before shaking his head. “I thought-” He backtracks on what he was about to say, taking a breath. He cannot believe he didn’t recognize her from the beginning; however, in his defense, he had long thought Zahra to be dead. “It’s just been so long,” he finally says. 

 

Zahra nods and laughs; she lets out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding in as he finally spoke. “Yeah, it really has.” She still remembers the last time she saw Poe; even if it was so long ago. 

 

“Last time I saw you, we were-” He uses his hands to gesture the height of a child, causing Zahra to laugh again at his surprised behavior.

 

Poe is still in shock. Although it was easily over 20 years ago, he still holds his memories of his life on Yavin-4 dearly; especially his last memory with Zahra. 

 

…

 

**_Several Years Ago_ **

 

_ Young Poe Dameron ran around with the other children in the neighborhood that he called friends. The curly haired boy held a small toy Starfighter in the air as he shouted, “Pew! Pew! Pew!” He ran until he bumped into another kid.  _

 

_ “Oops. Sorry, Petals,” Poe said as he realized it was Zahra. _

 

_ “I told you to stop calling me that, Poo” the smaller girl said, glaring at him as she picked up her toy blaster. Petals was a nickname he used for her ever since he learned the meaning of her name: flower. Zahra called him Poo because she couldn’t come up with anything better. _

 

_ “Sorry, Petals,” he said before lifting his ship back up and running back into battle. Zahra shrugged before running after the others and playing along.  _

_ “I’m the best pilot that ever lived!” Poe shouted as he pretended to fight with another boy.  _

 

_ “No you’re not. I am!” The boy protested.  _

 

_ “Well, my mom already taught me how to fly in her A-Wing,” Poe boasted, “Ha. I wi-” _

 

_ “Poe.” A man’s voice interrupted, causing all the children to stop playing as Poe stopped in his tracks; everyone lowered their “weapons” and looked at Poe. “I need you to come home, now.”  _

 

_ “Oh.” He furrowed his eyebrows. “Okay… bye guys,” he said as he waved to the other kids. He walked over to the man that called him; Poe grabbed his hand and began to walk home with him. “Am I in trouble, L’ulo?”  _

 

_ “No, Poe,” L’ulo said shortly. Poe frowned; it sure felt like he was in trouble. L’ulo was normally very talkative with him but today he seemed upset.  _

 

_ “Are you okay?” Poe asked, now thinking that maybe something was wrong with L’ulo.  _

 

_ “Hold the questions until we get to your house.” L’ulo sighed, refusing to meet Poe’s eyes. Poe frowned again and averted is eyes from L’ulo. The little boy’s curious mind kept trying to figure out what could have possibly happened. Eventually, he became distracted and pretended to fly his toy Starship as they walked. L’ulo eyeing the boy from the corner of his eye, smiling sadly.  _

 

_ Once they reached Poe’s family home, Poe let go of L’ulo’s hand and ran to the door, swinging it open. “Uncle L’ulo, do you wanna play?” Poe asked once he stepped inside, “I have an extra ship you can play with!” He just wanted to make the man feel better. L’ulo wasn’t actually Poe’s uncle; L’ulo had been a friend of Poe’s mother when they were both rebel pilots.  _

 

_ “No, Poe. Not today.” L’ulo sighed. The sadness in his voice made Poe nervous. He had never seen L'ulo like this.  _

 

_ “Or we could go play on the tree Luke Skywalker gave us and-”  _

 

_ “Enough, Poe.” L’ulo raised his voice a bit, stopping young Poe in his tracks once again. The little boy was only trying to cheer L’ulo up. “Just sit down. I need to talk to you.” L’ulo lowered his voice. Poe nodded before walked over and took a seat on the couch. L’ulo kneeled down in front of him and sighed. “Alright…” L’ulo didn’t even know where to begin. “Poe your-” He inhaled deeply, rethinking his approach. “Poe… You’ve always been a strong boy, right?”  _

 

_ Poe giggled a little at the strange question. “Yeah. I’m really strong.”  _

_ “Good... ‘Cause I’m gonna need you to be strong right now.” L’ulo took a breath. “I don’t know how else I can tell you this, Poe… but your parents are… gone.” Poe stared at him and furrowed his eyebrows.  _

 

_ “Well, where did they go?” Poe asked, tilting his head.  _

 

_ “No, Poe.” L’ulo shook his head. “I mean- they’re  _ **_gone_ ** _.”  _

 

_ “When are they coming back?” Poe asked as his heart began to beat a little faster. Deep down, he knew what this meant, but he didn't want to accept it. He had to be mistaken.  _

 

_ “Poe, that’s not what I’m trying to say. What I mean is-” _

 

_ “No!” Poe yelled before standing from his seat. “No! That can’t be what you mean! My parents aren’t gone. They didn’t go anywhere!”  _

 

_ “Poe, please…” L’ulo pleaded. This wasn’t at all easy for him; he was close with both Shara and Kes.  _

 

_ “They’re not gone, L’ulo! I want  _ **_you_ ** _ to leave!” Poe shouted before he ran to another room. “Mom!” he called as he swung open his parents’ room door, but it was empty. He thought that maybe she would be outside by the “force tree.”  He ran out through the back door and over to the tree Luke had given them. “Mom!” He looked around but she was nowhere to be seen. Poe held on to the thought that she was at work or something and L’ulo was a liar; however, deep down, Poe felt the truth. Poe put a tiny hand on the tree and looked down at the ground.   _

 

_ “Poe…” L’ulo called as he followed behind him slowly. Poe turned around and looked at L’ulo with tears forming in his doe brown eyes.  _

 

_ “Please tell me it’s not true.”  _

 

_ L’ulo just shook his head, “I’m sorry, Poe.” Poe looked back at the tree and let the tears stream slowly down his cheeks.  _

 

_ … _

 

**_A few days later_ **

 

_ … _

 

_ The funeral service was over for both Shara and Kes Dameron. It was a huge turnout, including several individuals not even from Yavin-4. The kids in the neighborhood had stopped playing since the incident. Poe was always the “fearless leader” of the group, so it was difficult to see him so broken. Most of the children felt bad but didn’t know how to respond, while the others just didn’t understand.  _

 

_ Poe had just said goodbye to his friends and was now standing in front of his beloved force tree. L’ulo would be taking him away from Yavin-4 for a while; it was no longer a place of comfort for Poe. The curly haired boy stood alone with a small bag of belongings at his feet; he didn’t want to take much with him. He realized that none of it really mattered. He just stared at the tree and let the tears welling up in his eyes finally fall down his cheeks.  _

 

_ A tiny Zahra watched sadly from a distance. She was younger than him, so she didn’t fully understand what he was going through; however, she could see what it was doing to him. She noticed that he hadn’t smiled since the last day they were playing together. She noticed that when she tried to comfort her he called her by her name instead of his nickname for her; as much as she claimed to hate it, she kind of missed it. She also noticed when he threw his toy Starship out of the window. She had ran to pick it up and saw that it was broken. Overall, she noticed that he just wasn’t the same.  _

 

_ L’ulo walked out of the back door and frowned when he saw Poe standing alone. “I figured I’d find you here,” he said as he walked over to Poe. The little boy looked at him before returning his gaze to the tree. “We can stay if you’d like?” L’ulo suggested; although Poe was the one that wanted to leave, L’ulo had to be sure that it was what Poe really wanted. The curly haired boy just shook his head. “Alright, well I’ll be waiting for you in the front. Come in whenever you’re ready, then we’ll go.” L’ulo patted Poe on the shoulder before turning around and walking back to the house.  _

 

_ Poe stayed staring at the tree, thinking of the little life he would be leaving behind, wondering why this had to happen to him, and wishing he could see his parents one last time. He wished he could touch his mother’s soft curls one more time, or feel her kiss his cheek again. He wished his father would lift him up again and spin him around, even just for a little bit. He wished he could hold both of their hands as he walked with them somewhere or hear them both say goodnight or I love you one more time.  He just wished that things could be different. He wished he had the chance to say goodbye.  _

 

_ Poe reached out and touched the tree one final time. He looked up at the tall trunk and the high branches. This tree grew with him. His parents planted it not too long ago and he remembered when it was much smaller, not that it was very big now but it was big to him. “Goodbye,” he whispered quietly before turning around and walking toward his house. He walked slowly, staring at his feet as he took each step.  _

 

_ “Wait!” Zahra’s small voice called from a distance. Poe stopped and turned to look at her. He watched as she picked something up from the ground and ran over to him. Although he didn’t feel like speaking, or even interacting with anyone, he waited for her. She finally met up with him, panting slightly. She took a breath. “Here,” she said as she handed him a bright yellow flower that she picked for him. Poe looked down at the flower and he felt the tears start welling in his eyes all over again. He slowly reached out and took the flower from her tiny hand. Before he realized it, she pulled him into a hug. He was startled and didn’t really know what to do. She pulled away and offered a small smile, “I thought you needed that too.” He stared at her for a moment, truly appreciating the small gesture. “Goodbye, Poo,” she said softly, before taking a step back. He had not spoke in a while, so she smiled sadly once more before turning and walking away.  _

 

_ Poe watched as the little girl with the long dark hair walked away from him. Although she only gave him a bright yellow flower, she left him with much more than she could ever imagine. “Thanks, Petals,” he whispered, regardless of her inability to hear him.  _

 

_ … _

 

“You alright?” Zahra’s voice pulls Poe from the distant memory. Poe shakes his head, shaking away the memory before nodding. 

 

“Yeah, of course.” Poe places the picture frame back in it’s place and turns back to Zahra. “It’s just weird to see someone that brings me back so close to home.” 

 

Zahra nods, “I know the feeling.” Poe unexpectedly walks toward her and pulls her into a hug; he remembers that he wasn’t the only one who lost stuff. Poe heard that her family was killed, leading him to assume that she was gone as well. He thought he would never have the opportunity to thank her for that day. Zahra is surprised by the sudden act; it had been a while since anyone showed her any sign of affection. She holds on to him as he wraps his arms tightly around her. Granted, they were young when they knew each other and weren’t exactly close, but it was nice to feel some sort of familiarity. 

 

Their embrace is interrupted when there is a sudden thumping at the door. Zahra pulls away and cautiously walks to the door. Poe reaches for his blaster when he notices Zahra’s vigilance. She peers carefully through the window, in an attempt to avoid being seen; she isn't expecting anyone to visit her here. She furrows her eyebrows when there isn't anyone standing at the door.

 

“I don’t see anyone,” she whispers as she looks back at Poe. The man gives a puzzled look; he knows he heard something. She slides to the other side of the door and peeks through the other side of the window. Zahra narrows her eyes as she tries to look for a sign of anyone, but the street is deserted. She jumps as there is another banging on the door. She looks at Poe once again to see that he had been startled as well; he had already pulled his blaster from it’s holster and has it aimed at the door. With that she opens the door, trusting that Poe has her back. She quickly averts her eyes down and laughs when she realizes it was Poe’s droid. The man sighs, relaxing his shoulders and returning his blaster to it’s holster. 

 

“C’mon in,” Zahra giggles as she steps aside, allowing room for the droid to enter; he rolls in and looks around the old house. The droid stops and looks at Poe.

 

“Sorry, buddy. I forgot. I got caught up with... stuff,” Poe apologizes. BB-8 looks back and forth between Poe and Zahra. “Oh! Beebee, this is Zahra. She’s an old friend of mine,” Poe said as he kneels slightly to talk to the droid; Zahra finds this adorable. “And Zahra,” Poe says, standing back up to speak to her, “this is Beebee, my astromech.” 

 

“Nice to meet you, Beebee,” Zahra smiles. “Officially,” she adds. BB-8 just beeps in response, earning a smile from Poe; the droid likes her already. “So uh-” she starts as she turns her attention back to Poe, “do you wanna go somewhere? Maybe catch up? Unless you have more  _ stuff to do. _ ” She uses air quotes on the last part. 

 

“Yeah, sounds good,” Poe laughs. “Just let me report to- uh-” 

 

“The resistance?” She finishs his sentence, reminding him that she already knew who he was. 

 

“My squadron actually,” he corrects proudly. 

 

“Oh,  _ excuse me, _ ” she rolls her eyes playfully, “alright, whatever. I’ll be right back.” She returns to her room, giving Poe space to do whatever he needs to do in privacy. Poe uses his comlink to report to his squadron that everything was okay, but he would be slightly delayed. 

 

After a few minutes, Zahra returns to the living room where she left Poe. “You ready?” 

 

“Let’s go,” he nods. Zahra walks to the door and exits with both Poe and BB-8 following behind her. 

 

“Anywhere in particular you wanna go?” she inquires. 

 

“Mmm, maybe,” he hums, “I guess I’ll lead the way.” Zahra nods and lets Poe lead the way; although she has a pretty good notion of where he is taking her. They walk in a pleasant silence; it isn’t an awkward silence, but it is a silence that allows them both to think and take in the nostalgia of the moment. The pair had not been in this neighborhood together in nearly 20 years. 

 

Her assumption is proven to be true as they approach Poe’s old home. She refrains from speaking to give him the time he needs to take it all in. She figures he had previously visited, but it still can't be easy. She observes his expression as he looks at the scene in front of him. It is a dark and empty house, once a home for a beautiful family that was filled with life and movement. The two slowly walk up the pathway to the house with BB-8 rolling quietly behind them. Poe leads her to the backyard and stops when he sees the old force tree; it is much larger than the last time he had seen it. He continues walking and closes the distance between them and the tree. When he is close enough, he places a hand on it; the same way he always would as a kid. “Long time no see,” he chuckles. 

 

Zahra sits down on the grass and looks up at the lovely tree. After a few moments, Poe sits down beside her and heaves a sigh. She peers over at him; Poe had changed a lot over the many years, but he still resembles the small boy she once knew. She gives a small laugh. Poe looks over at her and raised an eyebrow, “What?”

 

“Nothing,” she shakes her head and looks away, “anyway, how have you been?” 

 

“No, no, no, no,” Poe stops her, shaking his head. “You clearly know stuff about me, and I know nothing about you. You go first.” 

 

“Well, what do you wanna know?” she asks, rolling her eyes, “C’mon, Poe. Give me something to work with.” 

 

“Well… For one, what are you doing back here on Yavin? Did you ever leave? Are you here alone? Ya know, just start with the basics,” he shrugs; he wants to ask about the streak of grey in her hair, but he decides to leave that for later. 

 

“I came back to visit,” Zahra shrugs, “I hadn’t been here since… well, since a long time ago. Everyone abandoned this old neighborhood, and I just figured I’d pay it a visit. I left when I was twelve, and I’ve been on several other planets since then. I’ve never really called any other place home. I work for transportation and other necessities. I’m not really doing much, just making random Stormtroopers’ lives difficult.” She looks at Poe for a second before returning her gaze to the tree. Poe raises an eyebrow at her. “I still don’t agree with the Empire, the First Order, or whatever the hell they’re calling themselves now.”

Poe chuckles, “Ever thought of joining the Resistance?” 

 

“Frankly, I don’t think I’d fit in there. Plus, the opportunity never arose. What, are you a recruiter now?” she rolls her eyes. 

 

“I could be,” Poe says quietly before looking back to the tree, “if you wanted me to be.” Zahra would’ve laughed, had it not been the seriousness in his voice. 

 

“ _ Right, _ ” she says sarcastically, “I don’t think I’d be much help to the Resistance at all. Nor do I think I’d be very welcomed.” 

 

“I’m not gonna force you, but I am offering you an opportunity. Whether you take that chance or not is on you,” Poe explains, “I just don’t like the idea of you wandering alone forever, Zahra.”

 

“Don’t get too soft on me now, Dameron,” she bumps his shoulder with her own, earning a small laugh from him.

 

“I’m serious though,” he says, his smile dropping, “I’d help you figure out where you fit in until you get settled in.” As much as Poe wants her to come with him, it is her decision in the end. He just hates the thought of never seeing her again. Zahra twists a strand of her hair as she thought,part of the grey streak in particular; it was a nervous habit of her’s. She wants to go with him. He is the closest thing to family she had in a long time.

 

“I wouldn’t even know where to start, or what I would do there.” Zahra looks at him questionably. 

 

“That’s okay!” Poe says reassuringly, “Like I said, I’ll help you. You’ll just have to get approval, and that’s it.” Zahra frowns; she was never good at earning the approval of others. 

 

“But what if they say no? What if I’m not allowed in?” she asks and looks up at him. 

 

“In that case, I would help you figure something else out. But I highly doubt that, I think the General will love you,” Poe shrugs. Zahra pulls at the grass, seriously considering Poe’s offer; she had nothing else going for her. 

 

“Okay…” she finally says. 

 

“Really? So you’ll come?” Poe asks, trying not to sound too excited. 

 

“Yeah,” she smiles, “I’ll go with you.” Poe smiles at her response. It is the first genuine smile Zahra has seen from him, or anyone for that matter, in a while. 

“I see you still have those adorable dimples,” she reamarks, causing Poe to fight back another smile. 

 

“Oh, shut up,” he rolls his eyes before standing up and dusting himself off. He offers her a hand and helped her up. He sighs and returns his gaze to the force-sensitive tree he grew up with. “Were you ready to leave now, or did you have something else you wanted to do while you were here?” Poe inquires, not looking at her. 

 

“I’m ready,” Zahra nods, “I got much more than I expected to find here.” She looks at Poe, feeling indescribably happy at this part of home she had with her once again. Poe nods and searches for his droid; BB-8 had stayed at the front of the house, keeping lookout for any potential hostiles. 

 

Poe gestures for Zahra to follow him as he begins to walk toward the front of the house, taking another look over his shoulder at the tree. He would visit again soon. Finding Zahra made him realize that he could never truly abandon this place; it is a part of him. Maybe even more so now, than ever before. 

 

When they leave Poe’s childhood home and begin walking to the speeder, Zahra stops. “Wait, I have to get my stuff before we go.” 

 

“Oh, alright,” Poe nods, “I have to hide the bike and stuff. My ship isn’t far from here. You can meet me there if you want. It’s by the ditch we all used to play in as kids, you remember?” BB-8 simply looks back and forth between Zahra and Poe.

 

“Of course, I do.” Zahra smiles at the memory. “I’ll meet you there,” she says before walking back to her house. Poe watches her enter the house before continuing his way over to the speeder. He mentally scolds himself for leaving it out in the open; he should not have allowed Zahra to distract him like that. BB-8 rolls quietly beside him until they had put some distance between themselves and Zahra’s house. 

 

BB-8 begins beeping excitedly with many questions and other nonsense. “Yes, buddy,” Poe chuckles, “She’s coming with us.” The little orange and white droid beeps again in response. “What made me change my mind? Uh… well… I don’t know actually.” Poe climbs onto the speeder and waits for BB-8 to secure himself as well. 

 

Poe starts up the speeder and rides through the trees to the ditch where he had hidden his X-Wing. He parks the speeder bike in the ditch and covers it with a tarp; then, with the help of BB-8, he covers the tarp with some brush. Poe leans against the covered X-Wing, waiting for Zahra to arrive. He fidgets with his fingers, then he fiddles with a twig he picked up. He taps his foot, then hums a song. Poe doesn't want to rush Zahra but she is taking far too long. He frowns and sits on the ground. Poe hopes that maybe she just lost her way a bit and would find him soon. 

 

After another hour, Poe begins to worry that she might not show up at all. Maybe it is a way of refusing his offer. Poe is just sitting on the ground, lost in thought, when BB-8 rolls over to him and beeps curiously. “I don’t think she’s coming, buddy,” Poe says quietly before standing up. “C’mon, I guess we better get going,” Poe dusts himself off before preparing to pull the tarp off of his X-Wing. 

 

He begins pulling it, but BB-8 bumps into the side of his leg. “What is it?” Poe asks, raising an eyebrow. BB-8 beeps quickly, protesting their departure. “Look, Zahr probably just didn’t wanna say no. It’s fine, Beebee,” Poe sighs. BB-8 beeps angrily again but Poe just ignores him this time; they cannot force her to come with them. The small droid bumps into Poe’s leg again, harder this time, nearly knocking Poe over. “Hey! Cut it out!” Poe shouts but the little droid rolls away toward the old neighborhood. 

 

Poe sighs and follows after him. He does not want BB-8 to be disappointed if they can't find her; deep down, Poe knew he will be more than disappointed as well if they didn’t find her. “Where did you go?” Poe whispers as he searched for his astromech. He continues walking through the trees, stepping over branches left and right. He stops when he spots BB-8, motionless at the edge of the brush. “Beebee what’re you-” Poe stops speaking and ducks down. 

 

_ Shit,  _ he thinks as he looked at the Stormtroopers walking down the street of their old neighborhood. He lays in the brush and crawls over to BB-8. The droid looks at Poe and beeps quietly. Poe just nods; Zahra was most likely hiding out in her house, avoiding sight. Poe can hear the troopers communicating but he cannot pick up on what they are saying; their masks slightly muffle their voices as well. He stays very still and listens to the best of his ability. 

 

“I know I saw some movement out here,” one of the Stormtroopers says. 

 

“Just keep looking,” another speaks up.  Poe is battling with himself over the decision to either, cause a distraction, or wait it out. He bites his lip as he thinks. 

 

“Check the windows to the houses,” one says, “they should all be empty.”  

 

Poe quietly stands up and hides behind one of the trees. He peeks to keep an eye on the troopers before moving to the back of another tree. He is about to squat back down when he notices something coming out of back window of Zahra’s house; Zahra quietly drops her bag to the ground before climbing out after it. She lands as quietly as possible. Once she is on the ground, she creeps over to the side of her house to get a look at the Stormtroopers and their positions. Poe is now worried that she might be seen; if he can spot her, they can as well. 

 

Poe looks around on the ground until he spots a pebble; he picks it up and aims carefully before throwing it and hitting Zahra on the arm. She whips around and looks at him; she sighs with relief when she realizes it is her friend. Poe puts a finger on his lips, telling her to stay quiet. She tip-toes to the opposite edge of her house, closer to Poe. He puts a hand up, signaling Zahra to wait. Poe waits until the Stormtroopers give her a chance to avoid being seen. Once they begin looking in a window of another house, he waves his hand and signals for her to hurry. 

 

Zahra runs the short distance from her house to the trees. Poe pulls her to the side behind a tree as soon as she is within arms’ reach. “I thought you weren’t coming,” Poe whispers, feeling incredibly stupid now. 

 

“I thought you were gonna leave without me,” she breathes. 

 

“It wouldn’t have left intentionally,” Poe still has a grip on her arm. Zahra looks at the Stormtroopers who are still looking in through different windows. She turns back to Poe and opens her mouth to say something but nothing comes to mind. The two are standing very close together, simply looking at one another. Poe shakes his head before releasing her arm. “We should probably get out of here,” he says quietly. Zahra nods, silently agreeing. Poe peeks from their hiding spot behind the tree before quickly leaning back against the tree. He squeezes his eyes in regret, and groans quietly. Zahra looks at him with confusion and concern. 

 

“Hey, you there!” A Stormtrooper’s staticky voice sounds.  _ Crap,  _ Zahra thinks. “Show yourself. We will open fire,” the Trooper commands. 

 

“How many are there?” Poe asks quietly, not moving.

 

“Five,” Zahra whispers in response, to which Poe nods.

 

“They haven’t seen you yet,” Poe starts.

 

“No,” Zahra protests, but he continues to talk over her. 

 

“You can still sneak away and get Beebee to call for help,” he adds. Zahra knows there is no way to win this argument against Poe. There is not enough time. She sighs and looks down. Poe had been spotted, not her. 

 

“This is your last chance!” A second Stormtrooper speaks up. Without another word to Zahra, Poe turns and takes a single step away from the tree that concealed him from their view. He has his hands raised in surrender. 

 

Zahra is sure that he has a plan, but she has a plan of her own. 

**Author's Note:**

> Ahhh okay, so this is my first time writing and leaving something published. Sorry if it isn't very good or if it seems slow. I'd appreciate any feedback you might have. Next chapter will be up soon!!


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